Isolated Military Airbase

Isolated Military Airbase

There are numerous isolated military bases around the world, but few as remote as Johnston Atoll. Located in the central Pacific and comprising little more than a vast runway, it's not hard to imagine what sort of "under the radar" pursuits went on here over the years.

Johnston Atoll, a United States territory, is a remote group of islands covering 50 square miles. Chief among them is Johnston Island, with its now abandoned military base. In 1926, an executive order established Johnston Atoll as a federal bird refuge, but control was transferred to the U.S. Navy in 1934 and the impressive runway still seen today was established. Soon after, the former wildlife reserve became a nuclear weapons test site.